Tell a story with your food images says Jon Enoch, a Food POTY winner
To capture his winning Food Photographer of the Year 2023 image (see next page), Jon travelled to Mumbai, India, one of the busiest cities in the world. “I read an article years ago about food colourings in sweets, with candy floss as an example, so I could vividly see what the photo series would look like,” he says.
Although Jon won the title, he does not describe himself as a food photographer in the traditional sense. “Taking images of lasagne doesn’t interest me, I focus mainly on the human side of the equation. As a food image, mine is a bit different, and in the world of photography different is your superpower”. When creating a personal project, Jon finds a back story that initially inspires him that has certain criteria he is looking for – and this idea ticked all his boxes.
Photographing in Mumbai brings challenges, including the relentless heat and humidity and the sheer amount of people. Shooting at night was a good option, as the temperatures are slightly lower, it’s a bit less busy and the jet lag is less of an issue. Therefore, lighting was one of Jon’s first considerations. “I think about what lighting can I take on the plane with me, what is portable and flexible, as I don’t know the city layout. Then I ask myself what atmosphere I want to create from the lighting setup. It’s all about the atmosphere, enhancing what’s naturally there in the scene,” he explains. “Getting around in Mumbai is a nightmare, and our setup with all the lighting attracted a lot of interest. We had an amount in cash for smoothing the way with local police, which is an unusual item to see on the production plan,” he explains. As the images were shot at night, Jon could control the lighting, and give it an unusual take. “I had a crew of two assistants, and we set up the shot with the lighting as quickly as we could with the crowds building up around us. The portrait was shot with a Canon 5DS R, with 50mm Sigma f/1.4 lens at 1/160 sec at f/5.6 and ISO 400.”
Jon’s shot is all about the man, but he offers enough information to draw the viewer in while also holding enough back for extra intrigue. As he explains: “He’s clearly a candy floss seller, but what’s his life like? Where does he live? Why has he chosen this life? I want the viewer to leave with more unanswered questions than when they started and also to create a little portal to another world. The amazing structure of candy floss is visually striking; it grabs your attention at first sight.”
